Futurama - Into The Wild Green Yonder [DVD] [2008]

The last of the four commission direct-to-DVD spin-off movies for Futurama, Into The Wild Green Yonder fortunately leaves us salivating for more. Will we get them? Possibly, but for now, it’s perhaps wiser to deal with what we’ve got.
Into The Wild Green Yonder continues the environmental theme that has underpinned many of the specials, with the plan this time surrounding Amy’s dad, Leo Wong, and his desire to sweep away part of the galaxy so that he can build a golf course (the biggest of its type in the universe, naturally). As this plan unfolds, Fry manages to pick up some mind-reading abilities and Bender embarks on an affair, amongst other events. And while Into The Wild Green Yonder does focus tightly on a handful of characters, leaving some of the others a little short-changed, the star attractions here all get plenty of time.
And that’s been one of the strengths of these DVD spin-offs. Running to the best part of 90 minutes, they’ve taken their time to set things up, and made the most of the extended running time. Into The Wild Green Yonder is no different, and really benefits--albeit at the cost of one or two slower moments--from having a bit more space. The end result is a very funny, enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes, and one of the best of the spin-off movies, too. Here’s hoping though that for Futurama, this isn’t actually the end… --Jon Foster

The Wire: Complete HBO Season 5 [DVD]

It’s borderline tragic that one of American television’s finest shows of recent times comes to an end with season five of The Wire. Long-praised for its astonishing mix of character, grit and outstandingly scripted drama, the upside is that the show sure goes out with some style.
As with every season of The wire, there’s an underlying theme running alongside the exploration of both sides of Baltimore’s drug problem, and this time it’s the media. Fighting cutbacks, yet trying to maintain quality, the staff of The Baltimore Sun prove to be a compelling addition to the mix. On top of that, there’s also Mayor Carcetti’s battles at City Hall with the budget, a stretched police force looking for easy statistics, and fractions among the city’s main drug dealers. Desperate times, ultimately, call for desperate measures, and it turns to McNulty to come up with a plan that threads through each of the city’s factions.
That The Wire has maintained its standards for five straight seasons is surely something to be celebrated all by itself. Yet what’s even more remarkable is the way that it leaves our screens, seemingly forever. No character is safe and nothing is black and white, right up to the quite wonderful final episode. And what a way to go that last instalment proves to be. Giving nothing away, it’s a superb fanfare to a genuinely stunning--and unequalled--piece of television drama. If you’ve not already, you really should find out what all the fuss about. --Simon Brew

West Side Story (Special Edition) [DVD] [1961]

The winner of 10 Academy Awards, this 1961 musical by choreographer Jerome Robbins and director Robert Wise (The Sound of Music) remains irresistible. Based on a smash Broadway play updating Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the 1950s era of juvenile delinquency, West Side Story stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers from different neighbourhoods--and ethnicities. The film's real selling points, however, are the highly charged and inventive song-and-dance numbers, the passionate ballads, the moody sets, colourful support from Rita Moreno, and the sheer accomplishment of Hollywood talent and technology producing a film so stirring. Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim wrote the score. --Tom Keogh

Oscar Winners 2009

Actor in a Leading Role Sean Penn (Milk)
Actor in a Supporting Role Heath Ledger THE DARK KNIGHT
Actress in a Leading Role Kate Winslet THE READER
Actress in a Supporting Role Penelope Cruz VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Animated Feature Film WALL-E
Art Direction THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Cinematography SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Costume Design THE DUCHESS
Directing SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Documentary Feature MAN ON WIRE
Documentary Short SMILE PINKI
Film Editing SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Foreign Language Film Departures
Makeup THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Music (Score) SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Music (Song) SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Picture SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Short Film (Animated) La Maison en Petits Cubes
Short Film (Live Action) SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)
Sound Editing THE DARK KNIGHT
Sound Mixing SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Visual Effects THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Writing (Original Screenplay) MILK

Gavin And Stacey - Series 1-2 [DVD] [2006]

When i first sat down to watch Gavin and Stacey i was expecting an average comedy to pass the time, there are a large number of very poor so called comedies on television however Gavin and Stacey is so much more than trash tv. I honestly didn't find the show to be a laugh a minute, there are a large number of painfully funny moments throughout both series but ultimately they are few and far between. The reason this show managed ot drag 5 stars out of me is the quality of the writing, the characters and the actors all of whom are superb. It is actually an intriguing drama-comedy more than a typical sitcom like friends for example, the end of each episode left me wanting to know more. The love story is incredibly sweet and sugary without actually becoming sickening and the parents of both Gavin and Stacey can probably be related to by most people. Nessa and Smithy have to be my favourite characters and there are some stunning catchphrases you will be able to pluck from these two. As for the comedy moments, they are superb and had me howling! Smithy in particular is the kind of friend i would love to have, challenging but essential! However for me what won me over was the sense of satisfaction that i had watched something more than i was expecting, which has been a long time coming... but most of all it's British!!! Be proud!!

Local Hero [DVD] [1983]

Now and again there comes a film that leaps into your heart, a film to take to your desert island and a film that becomes a life long friend. Local Hero is one such film. It's an unashamedly, brilliantly British comedy following in the footsteps of the Ealing Comedies, yet like the Ladykillers etc still has universal appeal. It's the tale of loneliness, of wanting to belong somewhere and finding that place. It looks magnificent (the Scottish scenery will have you on the next train to the Highlands) and it sounds... oh the music!!!! A glorious score and what an ending. If your not smiling back the tears as Mark Knopfler's guitar sweeps you into the end credits then some thing's wrong. Films don't get much better than this.

Lark Rise to Candleford: Complete BBC Series 1 [2008] [DVD]

The BBC’s costume drama juggernaut struck gold once more when it decided to tackle the work of Flora Thompson. And in adapting her books in the form of the television production Lark Rise To Candleford, it has brought another compelling piece of drama to the screen.
Lark Rise To Candleford is set at the end of the 19th century, and it follows the story of two communities in the midst of a developing Oxfordshire. One is a fast-growing market town, the other a sleepier, quieter place that’s holding more onto the past. Centred on Laura, the eldest daughter in the Timmins house, as she leaves the quieter life for work in the market town, the stage is then set for a quality drama series.
All ten episodes are present and correct on the Lark Rise To Candleford DVD set, and there’s a lot to enjoy. The cast, for instance, is simply terrific, with Julia Sawalha, Dawn French and Olivia Hallinan rightly taking plaudits. And the journey of their characters, along with those of the strong supporting cast, is simply wonderful television.
Mixing in humour, drama and the production values we seem to take for granted from the BBC, Lark Rise To Candleford really is quite a treat. And what’s more, it’s proof positive that when it comes to television period drama, there really isn’t anyway doing it better. Super stuff. --Jon Foster

Mistresses: Complete BBC Series 1 [DVD]

You don't wake up wanting to be someone's mistress - somehow it just happens.
Set in a world where friends have become the new family, Mistresses follows the lives and loves of a group of 30-something girlfriends who met at university. But their lives have taken very different turns. Katie, a doctor and the 'grown-up', has been having an affair, with one of her patients. Whilst her best mate Trudi is grieving the loss of her husband killed in 9/11. And there's Jessica - her anarchic lifestyle supplies lots of gossip and humour - but is there more going on than even her closest friends now about? And then there's happily married Siobhan - or is she? Part drama, part thriller, this is a bold take on modern love.
Starring Sarah Parish (Cutting It), Sharon Small (About a Boy), Orla Brady (Nip/Tuck), Shelley Conn (Part Animals).

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2 Disc Edition) [DVD] [2008]

Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. --Ellen A. Kim

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2 Disc Special Edition) [2008]

The feverish Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is a very busy sequel that might have looked unhinged in the hands of a less visionary director than Guillermo del Toro. Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy, aka "Red," the Dark Horse Comics demon-hero with roots in the mythical world but personal ties in the human realm. Still working, as he was in Hellboy, for a secret department of the federal government that deals (as in "Men In Black") with forces of the fantastic, Red and his colleagues take on a royal elf (Luke Goss) determined to smash a longtime truce between mankind and the forces of magic. Meanwhile, Red's relationship with girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), who can burst into flames at will, is going through a rocky stage observed by Red's fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones), himself struck by love in this film. Del Toro brilliantly integrates the ordinary and extraordinary, diving into an extended scene set in a troll market barely hidden behind the façade of typical city streets. He also unleashes a forest monster that devastates an urban neighborhood, but then--interestingly--brings a luminous beauty to the same area as the creature (an "elemental") succumbs to a terrible death. Del Toro's art direction proves masterful, too, in a climactic battle set in a clockworks-like stronghold tucked away in rugged Irish landscape. But it's really the juxtaposition of visual marvels with not-so-unusual relationship issues that gives Hellboy 2 a certain jaunty appeal hard to find in other superhero movies. --Tom Keogh

Nights In Rodanthe [2008

The sparks between Richard Gere and Diane Lane--so memorable in Unfaithful--smolder again in the sweepingly romantic Nights in Rodanthe. Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks, the film is unapologetically sentimental, and enjoyable completely on its own terms, a small gem of an escape, complete with storm-tossed coastline. Lane plays Adrienne, a wronged wife whose husband (Christopher Meloni) was a heel, but begs for another chance. She goes to clear her head at a remote North Carolina inn, where the sole occupant is Paul, a doctor, played by Gere, who is battling his own demons. If the writing is on the wall about what will become of our two leading actors, it's to Lane's and Gere's deep credit that they make their tentative connection, wariness, and growing feelings human and quite believable. Love is messy, and grownup love, even more so. As they get to know each other, Adrienne shows Paul a small wooden box that holds her keepsakes: "I made it to keep special things safe." Paul turns to her, looking her squarely but gently in the eye, and says, "What keeps you safe?" At that moment, every woman watching the film is in the palm of his hand. The film squarely addresses the reality that people over age 25 do, in fact, yearn for, and find, love. If only more studios would realise the deep, appreciative audience for films like this. --A.T. Hurley

Shameless - Series 1-5 - Complete [2003]

Shameless, the BAFTA award-winning and brilliantly funny drama series from writer Paul Abbott, follows the roller coaster lives and loves of the highly un-orthodox yet extremely tightly-knit Gallagher family.
Head of the family, in name only, is Dad Frank – a feckless, charmless, self-pitying, unemployed bully – a model father. Since mum went AWOL, dad hit the bottle leaving his six remarkably well-balanced children Fiona, Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam to fend for themselves. But the Gallaghers need not worry anymore, now they’ve teamed up with the local gangsters the Maguires, who continue to explode the myth of a conventional family.
The Complete Series 1-5 Box Set is a sixteen disc set consisting of all five series, plus the feature length Christmas and New Year Specials.
Extras- Behind the scenes with David Threlfall- Audio commentaries on Episodes 9 & 11- Building the Shameless estate- Outtakes - Deleted Scenes

Damages - Season 1 [2007]

Glenn Close continues the exodus of terrific movie actors and actresses who are finding the more fulfilling and meaty roles on the smaller screen. And with Damages, she’s struck gold in an engrossing legal thriller.
Close plays Patty Hewes, an experienced and high profile litigator. She’s then joined by the eager, and considerably more wet-behind-the-ears Ellen Parsons (played by Rose Byrne), who fits into the role of her protégé. Damages then sees the pair fighting a bitter and prolonged case against Ted Danson’s high-profile and very rich businessman.
Where Damages differs from many in the genre is that its first season effectively covers one single case (albeit with many, many strands), much as Murder One did all those years ago. And this makes for an increasingly layered and intriguing drama, with a healthy number of twists to keep you on your toes.
The entire first season is presented in this Damages set, and very gripping it is too. Superbly acted by its cast of high and lower profile actors, it brings with it a real compulsion to find out what happened next. It’s where the DVD set comes in handy, as there’s no longer a week between episodes to get to the next part of the story!
Damages may not have been the highest profile export from the States of late, but it is one of the very best. And this set is an ideal opportunity to find out what all the fuss is about… --Jon Foster

Step Brothers [2008]

Crude, juvenile (and proud of it), Step Brothers stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as two 40-year-old men, both living at home and leading the lives of 13-year-old boys, who are thrown together when their single parents (Mary Steenburgen, Parenthood, and Richard Jenkins, Six Feet Under) get married. Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Reilly) start out hating each other as only teenage boys can--but things get even worse for their long-suffering parents when they become best friends. Step Brothers gets most of its mileage from very low brow humour, but hidden among the flatulence and masturbation jokes is the suggestion that while these guys may be emotionally arrested, so are Brennan's hotshot business executive brother (Adam Scott, Tell Me You Love Me) and his high-fiving frat boy pals--just in a way that's condoned because it makes money. Also crucial is that Ferrell and Reilly capture adolescence in all its gruesome glory--the awkward insecurity but also the egomaniacal, arrogant self-centeredness. Mind you, this isn't the American version of The 400 Blows or anything. All in all though, Step Brothers combines the adolescent humour of producer Judd Apatow (Superbad, Knocked Up) and the comic chemistry of Ferrell and Reilly (who previously co-starred in Talladega Nights)--fans of either will find plenty to enjoy. --Bret Fetzer

You Don't Mess with the Zohan [2008]

If You Don't Mess with the Zohan feels like an extended and crazed sketch from Saturday Night Live, there are reasons for that. Zohan's star and SNL alumnus Adam Sandler is joined by several fellow cast members (in uncredited cameo roles) from his years on the NBC show. But Sandler also co-wrote the film's absurdist script with SNL veteran writer and sometime-performer Robert Smigel. Echoes of a few of their classic skits on the show--built around high-strung Israeli characters obsessed with disco and selling junk electronics out of a New York shop--are revisited in Zohan and are a lot of fun to see again. Zohan is unbridled nonsense thrown at the wall, but with a sunny disposition that proves surprisingly persuasive. Sandler stars as an Israeli intelligence operative who fakes his death to reinvent himself in New York City as a hairdresser. Putting the lie to assumptions that any man in that professional field must be gay, Zohan routinely provides raucous sexual favours for all his older female customers. The sight of bottles of gels and hairsprays falling off shelves while the indefatigable Zohan pleasures frisky grannies is pure SNL, and is funnier than it might sound. The silly story involves an old, Palestinian enemy of Zohan, the Phantom (John Turturro), showing up in Manhattan, but everything is really leading to a Big Apple version of the resolution of Israeli-Palestinian conflicts we'd all like to see on a large scale. The film is almost instantly forgettable, and there are many times it veers toward the dumb, but it also sells itself well as a nutty concept. --Tom Keogh

I've Loved You So Long [2008]

I think this was the best independent/foreign/art-house film of 2008. I was not too familiar with Kristen Scott-Thomas before watching this, only knowing she was a Hollywood actress. She really made her role her own in this film, and her performance in French was very convincing and precise. Of course, there are subtitles, but the entire film is in French. This doesn't matter in the least, because the raw emotions are the same in any language and you see souls and hearts break in pieces. It's not a jaunty, happy little film by any means. The storyline unfolds throughout, but the jist of it without giving too much away is the Scott-Thomas's character has just been released from a long prison sentence and is trying to rebuild her life. She was sent down for killing her own son. What on earth could possess her to do this? As she begins to warm up and open up, we find out, and we see the sheer, unadulterated pain and grief of a loving mother, which time never heals. A compelling, moving film which I couldn't recommend more.

Guitar Heroine "Music maestro"

Gomorrah [2008]

Matteo Garrone's GOMORRAH is a dense, sprawling expose of the corruption plaguing the communities of Naples and Caserta in modern-day Italy. The all-powerful Camorra syndicate influences the lives of even the most innocent citizens. In a manner similar to THE WIRE, Garrone tells his story from many different angles, resulting in a complex narrative that often feels novelistic. In many cases, the revolving stories never overlap or intersect. While that may be jarring to those viewers who are used to having their strings tied neatly for them by a film's conclusion, Garrone's decision results in an experience that feels much more honest and true. We witness the syndicate's impact from the top down and from the inside out, following a cavalcade of characters who are all trying in their own ways to escape the deadly world in which they live. Based on the book by Roberto Saviano, Garrone's crime epic is a powerful indictment of the corruption that is running rampant in Italy. His decision to present such a wide spectrum of characters enables him to show just how deeply everyone is impacted by this terrifying, unchecked display of criminal power. Cinematically, he employs a dizzying array of styles in order to further establish the frighteningly ungoverned atmosphere that pervades this community. GOMORRAH succeeds as both visceral entertainment and thoughtful social commentary.

Mad Men

Matthew Weiner, a writer and executive producer for THE SOPRANOS, may have set this series in the picture-perfect 1960s, but his characters are just as scheming as the mobsters on his last show. MAD MEN begins in 1960 on Manhattan's Madison Avenue at the fictional ad agency of Sterling Cooper. Creative director Don Draper (Jon Hamm) rules the halls of his company and the hearts of every woman he meets, while his wife, Betty (January Jones), struggles to be the perfect mate and mother back in Connecticut. But just as in the world of advertising, Don may not be all that he appears.In MAD MEN, the glass ceiling is dangerously low, and sexism reigns in a way that may shock modern viewers. But this isn't the prim '60s of THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW; Weiner's characters seduce, smoke, and swig with abandon--often within the walls of Sterling Cooper. MAD MEN takes equal parts substance and style to create an addictive cocktail that fully earned its freshman season wins at the Golden Globes for Best Dramatic Series and Best Actor in a Drama.

Taken [2008]

DISTRICT B13 director Pierre Morel calls the shots for this action-driven thriller. Liam Neeson (KINSEY, MICHAEL COLLINS) stars as a father who takes justice into his own hands when his daughter (Maggie Grace, THE FOG) is kidnapped. TAKEN also stars Famke Janssen (GOLDENEYE, LORD OF ILLUSIONS).

Burn After Reading [2008]

After the dark brilliance of No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading may seem like a trifle, but few filmmakers elevate the trivial to art quite like Joel and Ethan Coen. Inspired by Stansfield Turner's Burn Before Reading, the comically convoluted plot clicks into gear when the CIA gives analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) the boot. Little does Cox know his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton, riffing on her Michael Clayton character), is seeing married federal marshal Harry (George Clooney, Swinton's Clayton co-star, playing off his Syriana role). To get back at the Agency, Cox works on his memoirs. Through a twist of fate, fitness club workers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt in a pompadour that recalls Johnny Suede) find the disc and try to wrangle a "Samaratin tax" out of the surly alcoholic. An avid Internet dater, Linda plans to use the money for plastic surgery, oblivious that her manager, Ted (The Visitor's Richard Jenkins), likes her just the way she is. Though it sounds like a Beltway remake of The Big Lebowski, the Coen entry it most closely resembles, this time the brothers concentrate their energies on the myriad insecurities endemic to the mid-life crisis--with the exception of Chad, who's too dense to share such concerns, leading to the funniest performance of Pitt's career. If Lebowski represented the Coen's unique approach to film noir, Burn sees them putting their irresistibly absurdist stamp on paranoid thrillers from Enemy of the State to The Bourne Identity. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Lee Mack - Live

Filmed during his nationwide sell-out tour, Lee Mack Live is the long awaited first DVD from one of Britain’s finest stand-ups. After his multi award-winning contribution to BBC 1’s Not Going Out, and as team captain on Would I Lie to You? Lee's energy, finely crafted one-liners and razor sharp ad-libs are quickly propelling him into one of the UK's most recognisable and celebrated comics.
Extras - "To Cartmel and Back" - Exclusive footage of life on the road. - Clips from The Sketch Show - The BAFTA award winning ITV1 Series - Celebrity interviews from The Lee Mack Show BBC Radio 2 - Picture Gallery - ***Bonus extra - Exclusive optional version of the show with no swearing***

Frankie Boyle Live [2008]

"Master of the cruel one-liner"--Evening Standard"His eye for absurdity is as sharp as his suits"--Guardian
Critically acclaimed comedian Frankie Boyle presents his hotly-anticipated first live stand-up DVD. Recorded live during his sell-out shows at London’s Hackney Empire, Frankie’s unique brand of observational comedy and brutal but perfectly constructed one-liners prove he is one of the best gag writers in the business.
As the stand out act on top-rated satirical comedy show Mock The Week, the sharp-suited Scotsman shows us just a slice of what he’s capable of. In this DVD he unleashes his razor-sharp wit upon the audience with jokes that are too near the knuckle for TV, constantly venturing onto thin ice with outrageous jibes that could be utterly offensive if not delivered with equal measures of visceral cheek and sarcasm, demonstrating the full force of his comic prowess.
Extras:F**K You Scotland – behind the scenes tour diarySketches from BBC3 comedy Rush HourDrug experiment – additional audio material

10 Minute Solution - Target Toning

I have been active for years, but had stopped exercising for a while, really felt the weight pile on so thought I would try out a few DVD's. This one appealed because of the toning aspect, and not jumping around. I exercise everyday and alternate areobic and toning and this one is great! I have had this 3 months now and still enjoy putting this dvd on, knowing that I can do either the full 50 mins or 10 mins, each part warms you up and cools you down as part of the routine, and I can still feel it working. Really do recommend this as a toning dvd.

Rocknrolla [2008]

The film career of Guy Ritchie has endured a few bumps in recent years, with a collection of generally forgettable films from a man clearly capable of so much more. Thank goodness then for RocknRolla, which marks a smashing return to form, as he heads once more to the criminal underworld of London.
This time, Ritchie is playing far closer to the likes of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and while RocknRolla may see the director playing on safer ground than of late, it doesn’t take long for the decision to be vindicated. The plot surrounds a real-estate job with millions at stake, and it gives ample excuse to unleash a collection of raw gangsters and tough guys into the mix, who each fancy a bit of the action.
Thus, RocknRolla brings together Gerard Butler’s Scottish gangster, Tom Wilkinson’s London crime lord, Toby Kebbell’s drug-addicted musician and the likes of Thandie Newton, Mark Strong and Jeremy Piven too. And Ritchie’s cast serve him really well, making ample mileage out of the lines they’re given.
Granted, all of this is hardly fresh territory for the director, but RocknRolla is nonetheless funny, action-packed and a good British mob film to while away an evening with. Welcome back, Mr Ritchie… --Jon Foster